Tamada to leave Konica Minolta Honda

Tamada to leave Konica Minolta Honda

Konica Minolta Honda and Makoto Tamada have today announced the termination of their relationship after the Gran Premio bwin.com de la Comunitat Valenciana. An official statement announced that "the results of the last two years, after changing tyre manufacturers, were below expectations," although they thanked him for his commitment and wished him success in any future venture. The announcement also attributed the move to Tamada, saying that "The Konica Minolta Honda Team have decided to accept Makoto's decision about his future."

Tamada himself paid tribute to his soon to be former team, and analysed why things hadn't gone to plan in over the past two seasons.
"I know I'm part of a structure and project completely dedicated to me and I know very well how lucky I have been to have this. The four years I spent with my colleagues were fantastic; as a rider, but also as a man, I learnt so many things that will become precious to me in the near future. At the start everything came so naturally, victories included. Recent seasons, characterised by results below our potential, made me realize that, perhaps for all involved, it was time to look for fresh motivation. I took this decision because I know what the team have done for me and I feel that, even for them, it is now the right moment to renew the enthusiasm for motorsport. I am grateful to Konica Minolta, Honda and all their partners for their support.
A special thank you goes out to all the guys in the team for their firm trust in my ability throughout these last few years, and to Luca Montiron for making me understand the true passion for the job he does and with whom just a look was necessary for us to understand each other. I wish JiR, which will always remain "my team", all the success they deserve."
Team Manager Montiron also emphasised his gratitude to Tamada for the development of the project
"The years spent with Makoto will leave a permanent mark in my memory due to the for the strong emotions we experienced, for all our efforts, for the deep belief and will we had in always doing our best to support him. Thanks to Makoto, a person with good professional and human skills, we started the development of a project completely dedicated to young riders.. This represented the starting point of our challenge supported by the trust of a company like Konica Minolta which, determined the first decisive step towards further development. Makoto, with his willingness and reliability brought a huge contribution to JiR's project. I hope he can find the right position in a team reflecting his aspirations, where he can continue his career and show his potential at the top"